Second Summit of Western Balkans Speakers of Parliament
Brussels will host a meeting of parliamentary speakers from the Western Balkans to debate the role of Parliaments in EU Enlargement post-COVID.
On the invitation of European Parliament President Sassoli, speakers from the parliaments of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia will meet in Brussels for the European Parliament’s Second Western Balkans Speakers’ Summit.
The attendees will discuss the key role of parliaments in the EU enlargement process in a post-COVID-era with President Sassoli. While in Brussels they will also meet members of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs.
President Sassoli said: “I am glad to welcome the speakers from the Western Balkans for the second time in the European Parliament. It is crucial to reassert the role of the Western Balkans’ Parliaments and the EP in the EU enlargement process, as an essential pre-condition for building robust democracies, fit for a common European future. This is even more important after the COVID-19 crisis, which has challenged Parliaments all around the globe.”
Speakers of the Parliaments of Portugal and Slovenia, representing the current and upcoming rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, will also participate in the Summit. The list of participating Speakers is available here.
Meeting with President Sassoli:
When: Monday 28 June, 15:00 – 17:00; followed by a family photo
Where: Brussels, Altiero Spinelli room 5G3, and remotely
The meeting with the members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs will be open to the public and can be followed live.
When: 12:30 to 14:00
Where: Paul-Henri Spaak 1A2, and remotely
The EP-Western Balkans Speakers’ Summit takes place under President Sassoli's patronage and in cooperation with the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and Delegations for relations with the Western Balkans.
The Joint Declaration of June 2021 will be accessible here.
Background
The first EP-Western Balkans Speakers’ Summit took place at the European Parliament on 28 January 2020 under the patronage of President Sassoli. The Joint Declaration issued afterwards reaffirmed the fundamental role of parliaments in driving forward the EU reform agenda and in delivering on the European aspirations of the Western Balkans’ people.
Contacts:
-
Snježana KOBEŠĆAK SMODIŠ
Press Officer